Max Bygraves: The Collection (2-LP)

By the early 1970s Max Bygraves
had been appearing in the British Record Charts since their firm
publication in November 1952. The Swinging Sixties had been and gone.
the Beatles were over the hill. As if he hadn't enough on his hands (you
need them) his Mum was moaning at Max that 'they don't write songs like
they tused to do' and generally being a hit of a pain. Her sons
subsequent recording of a series. of Singalong albums in collaboration
with musical director Cyril Stapleton pleased Mum no end and helped Max
to over thirty Gold Records

This set is the latest, and one of
the greatest in that same style. All of the songs are from the golden
era of popular music, the 1930s´ and 40s. Wartime memories are
especially poignant in 1989, the 50thanniversary of the start of that
conflict. Songs such as 'Don' Sit Under The Apple Tree', 'That's The
Moon My Son' and 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' made famous by the Andrew*s
Sisters, 'Tangerine' and 'That Old Black Magic' still alive and well
today, and reminding us of the American Swing Era with Tommy Dorsey and
Glenn Miller -and British big cand connections too,swith 'Bless'em All'
and 'That Lovely Weekend'.

Royalties from the latter song,
written by Ted Heath and his wife Moira in 1942, helped to finance
probably the best big band ever on this side of the pond. And
representing the period's many novelty numbers, there's 'Mairzy Doats
And Dozy Doats' (Mare's Eat Oats And Does Eat Oats for the
un-initiated), written by Al Hoffman who, I seem to remember,had a hand
in another hit for Max called 'Gilly Gilly ...' something or other.

Goodness
knows what Max would think about the pop sounds of the 1980s. Anyway,
she was right, they don't write songs like they used to. But here and
there they do still sing them. And her son Max is leading the way. John Martland

Songs

Max Bygraves - The Collection (2-LP) Medium 1

1:

Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye

2:

We'll All Go Riding On A Rainbow - Sunny Side Up - When The Guards Are On Parade